Should Cobb stay on special teams?

Feb. 13, 2013

The Green Bay Packers' Randall Cobb is upended on a kickoff return during the second half of the NFC divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013. File/Gannett Wisconsin Media

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Jermichael Finley’s status is in question, Donald Driver is retired and Greg Jennings sounds like a wide receiver who has caught his final pass as a member of the Green Bay Packers.

The receiving corps that was considered an embarrassment of riches before the 2012 season seems a bit more touchable now with Randall Cobb, James Jones and Jordy Nelson comprising a sturdy, but not unstoppable unit.

If Jennings takes his talents elsewhere this offseason, the logical move would be to pluck the blossoming Cobb off special teams and position him into the slot position Jennings filled so well during his time in Green Bay.

But should they switch their dynamic receiver into offense-only mode?

Before the start of the playoffs last month, one NFC scout said he believed Cobb “hasn’t even touched the surface in his abilities" on kickoff and punt returns, equipped with “an unlimited ceiling” if the Packers so chose to keep him in that capacity.

During the postseason, the Packers saw that value in having Cobb returning. When they tried to supplant him with Jeremy Ross in their NFC divisional playoff game against San Francisco, the move backfired with Ross fumbling and giving the 49ers the ball and momentum at the Green Bay 9.

The Packers are at a pivotal point in Cobb’s development. A late-season ankle injury incurred two weeks before the end of the regular season on a punt play cost him his chance at his first 1,000-receiving season.

Yet, his presence on special teams allowed the Packers to finish 12th in the Dallas Morning News’ final rankings for the 2012 season, buoyed by the fact the kickoff return team averaged more than 24-yards per return for the first time in back-to-back seasons since 1963 and 1964.

As the University of California’s second all-time leading punt returner, Ross showed his potential during his few regular-season appearances with a 28.7-yard average on his three kickoffs and a robust 25.8 mark on four punt returns.

The Packers will need to be firm with their approach entering next season. If Cobb is off special teams, he should stay there and let Ross compete for the job, but they’ll need to think long and hard before making a move.

The trend in today’s NFL is to keep proven play-makers as far away from special teams as possible with few teams willing to roll the dice putting players in harm’s way.

However, the practice is more endangered than extinct with New England still using Wes Welker on punt returns and Percy Harvin returning kickoffs for Minnesota.

So what will the Packers do with Cobb? The next few months will go a long way in dictating that, but they're fully aware of what cards they're holding.

“What makes him so special is his willingness to learn – that’s what really makes him good,” Packers assistant special-teams coach Chad Morton said the past season.

“A lot of returners may think they already have all the answers. They know they can catch the ball, they know they can run really well, make jukes and stuff like that, but for him to sit down and actually spend time with us, and want to learn more about it says a lot about him.”